Hobbies

[66Lincoupe]

Besides trying to find parts for our MEL engines, what's everyone do for fun? I like to travel... Here's my rig:



'84 F250 with only 45,000 original miles, in my family since new.

I also collect die-cast car models... I don't have a photo yet, maybe I'll snap one tonight.

[Theo]

Nice coach you got. How I whished we had s.th. similar. When I was a kid my family, parents and 3 small kids travelled from Germany to Greece in a tiny box. It was a FK-1000, which translates into Ford Kologne 1000 ccm.

ford_fk_1000.jpg (41.22 KiB) Viewed 9114 times

We broke down a few times during this trip. My pops has very good skills to repair cars, so we allways managed to travel on somehow. I remember clearly the day when we broke down in the Greek mountains. I was seven years old and had to help holding wrenches and stuff. We worked for many hours until it got dark as it can get. I still hear the trucks blowing their horns each time they came around the dusty corner we were stuck. Kinda dangerous and it made my dad really nervoous while he was repairing the front axle. We were eating the dust.
We blew up a radiator in Athens and on our way back to Germany the drive shaft's U-joint popped off at 60 miles/hr. We kids were sitting on the floor playing cards. Bang bang bang, the shaft was hitting the road and the bus floor like a gigantic ping pong ball. I thought a tank was shooting at us and from the punches our playing cards took off like a rocket. The bus was side slipping like a pro and my mom got even more mad.
In those days the FK 1000 was a common vehicle so my father found a complete shaft on a wrecking yard next to the place where we got stuck. We slept 2 days on a wrecking yard. Five family members and a young hitch hiking student couple that we picked up at the greek yugoslavian border. It was summer 1965 and the rain was pouring like crazy. Pouring on this lille bus with 7 persons. Four adults, me 7 year old my 4 year old brother and my 1 year old baby brother . The owner of the wrecking yard charged us a fortune.
I really hated cars and toiols back then.

Well, for some reason the seeds shot many many years later. Maybe because I thought Ithat it was about time to become an adult or s.th.
Even the worst mechanical auto problems seemed to be challenging and interesting to me. Today I'm more confortable w. a vehicle that works w/o having to care for it. Probably because of lack of time.
Here' are my hobbies. I'll have to check if I can get a video recording of a show.

Thanx for this topic. Made up a good excuse to post a non MEL car

[66Lincoupe]

ford_fk_1000.jpg (41.22 KiB) Viewed 9113 times

Thanx for this topic. Made up a good excuse to post a non MEL car

I didn't know they made the Transit (even if it's Taunus) that far back!! I'm actually working on the new Transit for United States use!

Sometimes the worst memories are the "best"... I'm the same way, I like to drive my cars, not fix them on the side of the road!

Your T-bird looks great! I love the detail you have made on the engine and engine bay.

Here's my other "hobby"... Too expensive to actually do all the time, but when I can, I like to go fast!



Thanks for making this forum, Theo. As for this topic, I think it helps when we can see that we're all pretty much the same, even somewhere far away!

[Theo]

I didn't know they made the Transit (even if it's Taunus) that far back!! I'm actually working on the new Transit for United States use!

Oh, they've been around since ever. I didn't know that you're familiar with the German Ford Models. Taunus is a region in Germany. Are you involved in the auto industrie as an engineer or as an industrial designer?

Your T-bird looks great! I love the detail you have made on the engine and engine bay.

Thank you. I would probably do it in an other way if I had to start it all over. I would take off its disco suit and put it all together like the buddies once did at the Ford plant. Off course I would cheat a little by keeping the cam, the roller rockers and other mods that I've done under the surface.

Here's my other "hobby"... Too expensive to actually do all the time, but when I can, I like to go fast!

Man you ARE a Ford fan. This is one of the most impressive and most beautiful sports cars ever created. I once had correspondence with Mr. Modi from Holman & Modi.
I assume it's not an original. What brand replica is it? ...But hey, I'm no expert with these vehicles.

Thanks for making this forum, Theo.

You're welcome. I have promised to create a better format since years but never had the time to do it because I had a pretty high leveled concept in mind that required a lot of knowledge, preparation and time to execute.
The latest incidents forced me to lower my standarts and just go with an out of the box software.
Special thanx to Kultultz, Hawkrod and off course all other participants of the old forum for being faithful with the MEL board and being pacient with me.

As for this topic, I think it helps when we can see that we're all pretty much the same, even somewhere far away!

Yes that's true to some extend. Hopefully the real world will learn from what is common practice in many forums.
The idea of sharing the good interests regardless of race, religion and political attitudes is a great experience.

[66Lincoupe]

Theo, The GT is real...it's not mine, unfortunately, It belongs to the company. But I do get to flog it regularly! I had just run 200 MPH and this was my cool-down lap, if you look close you can see my fat chipmunk-cheeks in the helmet!

Yes, I work for Ford. I am involved with special brake development and technical testing. I am also a performance driving instructor. Anyone in the U.S. that wants to drive or evaluate at a Ford facility has to be trained, and that is part of what I do.

My dream one day is to drive the Nurburgring in ANYTHING... even a Transit!

[Theo]

Wow, you're a lucky man. What motor does it use? Is it a side oiler or a 302? My friend we need more close up pics of this plant.
Is the GT a testing slave for new Ford components? And yes I can see you through the windshield. Looks like you have your mouth opened, he he he. Yeah the G force. You must have a good dentist. The jet helmet? No full face helmet? Autoindustrie on a budget I guess.

BTW here's my other hobby besides my family

bmw_k1100web.jpg (9.51 KiB) Viewed 9114 times

There are public races on the Nürburgring. I'm not sure if they closed the Ring because of security reason, but in the past they had a few international public race events per year. Such as classic car races of all kind of classes. You need to apply for participation in advance. These events are usually big fiesta and crowded. You can usually see a few spectacular accidents where they wreck their multidollar vehicles, ouuch. You better won't be late with the paperwork.
Let me know if I can be of help once you decide to apply for a number.

BTW. I would like to ask you if you could find out the right bureau at work that I could contact regarding permission to post print material in the forum.
I have an original 58 Lincoln shop manual and an original 58 Lincoln driver manual that I like to scan and post.
I just need the right address to apply for permission. That would be very helpfull.
Thanx for the great GT photo.

[66Lincoupe]

Yes, Old Red is a mule. It has the 550 horsepower supercharged 5.4 Liter engine; a highly modifies version of the . I will post some pictures of the engine when I can get some.

As for the helmet, We only use those when we need to talk to the passenger or student. I have a full-face helmet for extreme driving... Then I have to wear a driving suit, too.

I will do some asking around about the pictures for you, Theo.

[Theo]

I will do some asking around about the pictures for you, Theo.

Don't let it become hard work.
Thank you very much. It's much appreciated.

P.S.
302 cu in (4.9 L)
351 cu in (5.8 L)

Maybe it's a modern mill the stuffed into the GT.

[66Lincoupe]

Yes, Old Red is a mule. It has the 550 horsepower supercharged 5.4 Liter engine; a highly modifies version of the . I will post some pictures of the engine when I can get some.

Oops, I sent this before I was finished... The engine is a highly modified version of the 5.4 L engine. The engines are hand-built in Romeo, Michigan, USA. Each engine is signed by the two people that build it.

It is a dual-overhead cam with an Eaton supercharger. Almost the same thing as the 2008 Mustang GT500KR.

The car itself is a 2005 model year.

There are pictures of the GT here:

http://www.fordgt.net/

[Theo]

A very impressive car indeed. Compared to the other boutique vehicles it seems to be ver reasonably prized.
Thanx for the link.